If you find my guide useful give me a holler so I can find you the right place! Or if my guide was ultra-super-helpful and is enough to make a decision, please list me (Alex Concepcion) as your referral and I’ll shower you with excess praise and funky gifts.
In my biased worldview, South Austin is the soul of the city. It’s got the classic Austin rock n roll appeal, while aggressively modernizing at the same time. It’s home to Zilker, Barton Springs, and the Greenbelt. You can live in small quiet neighborhoods, eat at awesome restaurants, drink at fancy local bars, and quickly get to downtown.
Because of all this, apartments have been popping up left and right, and they’ve been getting nicer and nicer.
In this list, I’ll go through my favorite luxury apartments in South Austin for those who aren’t afraid to splurge out on a super nice building with close proximity to Downtown, Barton Springs & Ramen Tatsuya (the most important landmark in my opinion)
Studios $1300 – $1700
1 Bedroom $1500 – $2100
2 Bedrooms $1900 – $2600
3 Bedrooms $2600+
Coldwater
Coldwater is that super hot, well educated, sophisticated, and charmingly funny friend you’ve always had a crush on. Because of this unbelievably rare collection of traits, this friend is rarely single, so it’s all about timing. This is the kind of place anybody with the faintest interest in running trails or food trucks or that whole Zilker Park thing would constantly have naughty dreams about. Plus if you live here, you can hang out with me and my friends at Uncle Billy’s for the Beer Run Club.
Pros
- Holy F*&#! Right on Barton Springs!
- Walk to Zilker omg.
- FOOD TRUCK PARK!
- Huge skydeck with awesome downtown views.
- Everything you’d want in a modern luxury apartment.
- Tons of running/biking trails at your doorstep
- Party crash ACL anyone?
- Oversized windows
Cons
- Often hard to get a unit here due to availability.
- Uh oh, Barton Springs traffic.
Water Marq
Water Marq is that cool new kid who recently transferred to your school. At first, you’re kinda jealous about the fact that he’s now captain of the football team (and a rising star in basketball too). His stellar grades and collection of artistic and philanthropic extra-curricular activities makes him a sure-fire candidate for Harvard. But secretly, he’s also into video games and sneaking out to party when his parents aren’t looking, so you both quickly become best friends. So yeah, this place is pretty cool.
Pros
- One of the best amenity collections in town from the pool, an awesome gym, remote-working-space.
- Great common area space to host parties
- Right on Lady Bird Lake, Austin’s best running/biking trail.
- Google Fiber omg!
- Often has very appealing specials like free weeks/months.
- Private Spin & Yoga Studios so you can get your 3rd-eye on.
- Kayak & Paddleboard rentals. Sweet!
Cons
- Even though it’s close to downtown, there’s not too much in the immediate walking area. South congress is the only thing nearby, and if you already live in Austin, you’re probably over it by now (unless you’re really into that karaoke bar nearby)
- Pool is a bit teeny! But still nice though.
Lamar Union
If Lamar Union was a movie, it would be Zoolander. It is really really (really) ridiculously good looking. Designed by legendary architect Michael Hsu (I’m not sure if he’s actually legendary, but I’ll go along with it). I imagine they found Pinterest and did what everybody else does. Go HAM on mid-century modern design, but to the Nth degree (I mean, who doesn’t right?)
I’d say it’s probably one of the coolest apartments in Austin, maybe even the whole US. It’s that cool. To compound the coolness, it’s right across from the Alamo Drafthouse which itself, is the coolest theatre in the country. By now, the coolness is becoming so dense, it’s dangerously close to collapsing in some cosmic neutron star of coolness kind of thing. Anyways, the pool area is awesome. It’s got plenty of space for you and your Sunday Funday co-conspirators.
Pros
- Look how cool it is!
- Awesome pool deck & community areas
- Lot’s of community events to meet neighbors.
- Walk to a bunch of bars and restaurants nearby.
- Walk to Ramen Tatsuya. Best Ramen in the history of ever.
Cons
- The inside can feel like a maze sometimes.
- You may wind up living in the building without the pool, which means you’d have to make the epic journey across the street to access it.
- Dog space is artificial turf instead of grass, which can get a little stinky
- Gym could be better.
- Prices can change like crazy here
Catherine
The Catherine has the most beautiful views out of any apartment in South Austin. It’s got a freaking rooftop bar where you can see all of Downtown & the river. As a building, these people have fully turned up the swank-dial to make this place the top of the line luxury building in the area.
Pros
- Holy s&$^ do you see that view? Yeah, it’s yours.
- The rooftop also doubles as a bar with live music. Yes. Really.
- Walk easily across the bridge to downtown, and hang out with some bats while you’re at it.
- Like living downtown, but with less downtown hassle and nonsense.
- Right next to The Long Center & Auditorium Shores which often has fun food truck action going on.
- Style for days!
- Play sand volleyball nextdoor at Aussies!
- Sonos Wireless HiFi built in speakers in the living room. Cool!
- Keyless apartment access.
Cons
- Usually the most expensive place on this list.
- Pool isn’t the nicest compared to other buildings in similar price ranges, but it’s still pretty good.
- Even though it’s beautiful, it’s slightly older than some of the similar priced buildings in the area.
- If you want to be in downtown, there might be some better options in your price range like Bowie or Northshore.
Windsor South Lamar
Pros
- Pool is very socially active, especially in summer.
- Yuuuuuuuge dog park. Like, biggest dog park in Austin type big. It’s friggin massive. If you have a furry four- legged alter-ego with strong opinions and a incessant desire to play, then this is your place.
- Beautiful rooms and lobby.
- They often have very spicy deals like 2 months free.
- Walk to a bunch of local bars/restaurants.
- Live very close to Downtown.
- Talk a leisurely walk to Barton Springs/Zilker
- Soloar panels on the roof! I don’t know, I just like them.
Cons
- Pool is very socially active, especially in summer, which could be a problem if your unit is near the pool and you’re not really into that.
- May not be high enough on the “swanky” meter compared to places like the Catherine
- Guest parking can be annoying. Sometimes you’re friends will just need to use the garage by the Alamo drafthouse.
- South Lamar traffic can be a b*&#^
- Not going to get stunning high-rise type views from here.
- May feel too much like a stuffy hotel.
Also Worth Mentioning
Here are some other apartments worth taking a look at. I left off this list primarily because they don’t quite reach the swanky-meter like the others on this list, but they’re still very nice nonetheless. If you want to scale down the swank, yet still live in a modern complex in South Austin, check this guide out
Working With Me
Hello there! I’m Alex Concepcion. Cool Apartment Locator Guy Extraordinaire.
Like pretty much everyone here, I’m a transplant from another city. I arrived from the wild and exotic country of Miami, Florida where I traded groovy salsa music and the beach for breakfast tacos and brisket. Now I call East Austin home where I host funky dinner parties, buy overpriced cocktails, and climb rocks at the Austin Bouldering Project.
Having gone through the chaotic transition of moving to a new city, I know what it’s like to be all freaked out and worried about picking the right place to live (and eat). I’ve fortunately found myself in the position where I can help people like you make the best possible transition.
Working with me means basically having a super useful personal research assistant guy do all the heavy lifting. If you’re not familiar with the neighborhoods, I can also put on my knock-off-Anthony-Bourdain-hat and be your personal food-obsessed tour guide (which is my favorite part of what I do).
Even cooler, I’m totally free to work with. I get paid directly by the apartment complex only when you move in.(which doesn’t affect your rent amount). I’m free like that HBO subscription your friend doesn’t know you use when Game of Thrones is on. I would be flattered to help you find the perfect place to live.
-Alex
